Egg prices hit a record high in January as avian influenza continues decimating flocks around the country, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the CDC.

The average cost of a dozen large Grade A eggs was $4.95 for customers last month, beating the last record set in 2023 by 13 cents. A majority of U.S. counties affected by bird flu are in the Midwest, but the virus has hit Maryland flocks with hundreds and thousands of birds along the Eastern shore. It has spread as far as Montgomery County after the Maryland Department of Agriculture on Jan. 30 confirmed a small backyard flock was positive with the virus.

Day-to-day risk

Eggs and chicken are still safe to eat, according to CDC guidance. There are biosecurity measures in place that ensure infected birds are quarantined and do not appear on shelves. Even if they did, cooking poultry products at a high temperature would kill the virus and bacteria, according to Jaekeun Park, an assistant professor at University of Maryland who has studied avian influenza.